We've also been talking about the philosophy of "Kaizen,” which means "continuous improvement.” So the idea is that you're always in the continuous pursuit for perfection. O'Neill: Ben's mom has this quote: "You'll catch more bees with honey than vinegar." So when you're busy and things can be hectic, it's always better to be kind in all situations.
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You can really get bogged down with all the details, and doing these other things that are outside of your core work helps to free the mind. So I certainly do understand that when you work for someone else, it can be hard to find the time, but it's important to work towards making time for work-life balance.Įldor: How does making time for hobbies help you? O'Neill: I recognize that because I'm my own boss, I make my own schedule and can make time for these other passions. With the food truck model, we didn't have as much overhead as you might from a storefront, so we were able to adapt along the way.Įldor: You balance your businesses of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and the restaurant Selamat Pagi with your band, rock climbing and also dance! How do you do it? We were working with about $60K, which we had gathered together from small investments from family and friends, and then also a line of credit. We found our first truck on eBay and then found someone who could retrofit it for us. When we started to look at other ice creams, it became clear that we were onto something: this pure ice cream that celebrates exceptional ingredients was not happening anywhere, except maybe in people's homes or fancy restaurants. So we were aligned on wanting to do high-quality ice cream and not use any kind of stabilizers, fillers or gums. We wrote a business plan together while sharing an apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and started tinkering with recipes. O'Neill: E ven though Pete, Ben and I grew up on different sides of the earth, we have similar feelings about food and how it should be prepared, grown and made.
We’ve been able to succeed and accomplish what we've accomplished on a shoestring because we plan ahead, but not too far ahead.Įldor: What did the early days of Van Leeuwen look like? As business owners, we can't be so set in the way we do things.
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You can't really go to school and learn how to be an entrepreneur, which is why it's so important to follow your gut.Īlso, we're never afraid to pivot. Karin Eldor: Congratulations on Van Leeuw en Ice Cream's 10th Anniversary! What’s the biggest lesson you've learned in the first 10 years of Van Leeuwen? Retrieved November 14, 2022.The Melbourne-born, bicoastal O’Neill (she splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles, where there are currently three Van Leeuwen shops ) gave me the scoop on her balancing act. "Van Leeuwen Agrees to Accept Cash Following Settlement With NYC Over Cashless Ban Law Violations". "Van Leeuwen Ice Cream opening first Colorado shop". "New York City's Van Leeuwen to Open Ice Cream Shop in West Village". "Cash or Card for a Cone? Van Leeuwen Must Take Both, N.Y.C. Van Leeuwen had been violating the law since it went into effect in November 2020 and had declined to show up for any administrative hearings. The chain agreed to comply with a New York City law that banned retail stores from refusing to accept cash as payment and to pay $33,000 in outstanding civil penalties. In November 2022, Van Leeuwen entered a settlement agreement with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
Van Leeuwen opened its 30th store in 2022 with their first locations in Dallas and Colorado. By 2021, Van Leeuwen had opened 27 stores across the United States, including 17 in New York City. The American private equity firm Nextworld invested $18.7 million in the company in 2020. Their yellow trucks sold flavors based on imported ingredients like Ceylon cinnamon, Sicilian pistachios, and vanilla from Papua New Guinea. Van Leeuwen began as a food truck in New York City in 2008 between Pete Van Leeuwen, his brother Ben, and their partner Laura O'Neill. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is an American ice cream parlor chain. Pete Van Leeuwen, Ben Van Leeuwen, Laura O'Neill
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